


ba bao zhou

by Quillium



Series: I Have a Spatula [9]
Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Sickfic, period pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 17:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19834966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quillium/pseuds/Quillium
Summary: “Told you to rest,” Cass says into her hair, little Cass with her strong arms who’s carrying her even though she shouldn’t have to.“Sorry,” Steph mumbles, because she did know and she should have but she thought that she’d be fine, maybe, just today.





	ba bao zhou

**Author's Note:**

> Kinda wanted to make this longer but I felt it would be unnecessary. Hope you enjoy it anyway.

She’s in someone’s arms and their wrists have some sort of weapon or guard on them but it’s hard to try and pay attention and figure out who it is (she _should_ ) because she’s in a fuck load of pain and normally that would make her more alert (has she been drugged? Attacked?) but she _knows_ this pain, like someone’s carving out bits of her stomach, and everything else foggy, a bad, in-between kind of foggy that makes it hard to do anything but pay attention to how much everything hurts.

“Told you to rest,” Cass says into her hair, little Cass with her strong arms who’s carrying her even though she shouldn’t have to.

“Sorry,” Steph mumbles, because she did know and she should have but she thought that she’d be fine, maybe, just today.

“Don’t be Bruce,” Cass says.

Steph laughs but laughing hurts so she stops and moans instead.

“Sorry,” Cass sighs, “Shouldn’t lecture.”

“No,” Steph says into Cass’s biceps, “You did tell me. And I was being stupid.”

“Yes,” Cass agrees, “Stupid.”

Steph laughs. Everything hurts. _God_ , what made her dumb enough to think that she could actually get away with going out on her period?

“Eat medicine?” Cass asks.

“Yeah,” Steph says.

She can hear the frown in Cass’s voice as she asks, “Doesn’t work?”

“Had some ice cream earlier,” Steph says.

Another sigh. The rest of the way home is blurry, Cass falling silent and Steph too in pain and tired to talk, head buzzing and everything aching with sharp pain.

She remembers stumbling into the manor, collapsing into Cass’s bed and throwing up nothing into the bright pink wastebasket by Cass’s bedside.

Cass sits her up, Steph’s head against her shoulder as Cass feeds her spoonfuls of ginger tea, whispering _just a little more_ when Steph buries her face in Cass’s shoulder, the Black Bat armour put away.

Steph drinks half the tea and falls asleep, Cass’s fingers in her hair, still mostly in her Batgirl costume.

__

Steph has always looked up to Cass.

Cass in costume was always unbeatable, strong and formidable, yet lithe and stealthy. Cass had been even better than Batman, and being given the Batgirl mantle after Cass had been in the suit was a little intimidating, despite how excited Steph had been.

But Cass outside the costume is even better. She’s kind and good at listening and she’s unafraid to say what she thinks and takes no shit from anyone and Steph has always admired that, the kindness and unfaltering belief that love, not cruelty, made people strong.

Steph loves Cass and looks up to her and somehow despite all of that, she still made the dumb mistake to go out on patrol while on her period when Cass specifically told her not to.

“Sorry for the trouble,” she mumbles the next morning, changed into a fresh shirt and a pair of yoga pants that may or may not be Dick’s.

“Not trouble,” Cass kisses Steph’s cheek, “Sisters.”

“I can still be trouble,” Steph says.

“Hm,” Cass smiles in a way that indicates that she disagrees but won’t say so out loud.

Steph throws up her hands, “You’re impossible.”

“Impossible,” Cass grins cheekily and nods. “Go sit down.”

“I’m _fine_.”

“Making _ba bao zhou_ for you, shoo,” Cass flicks her hands in a _go away_ gesture.

“I can help.”

“It’s for _you_ ,” Cass says, scandalized, “You can’t _help_.”

“But I can’t just do _nothing_.”

“Can,” Cass points at the couch, “Sick.”

“It’s just my period.”

“ _Passed out_ ,” Cass says firmly. “Threw up.”

Point. “Point,” Steph sighs and drags herself over to the couch.

“Yes,” Cass says proudly, “Point to me.”

Steph laughs a bit, and falls asleep to the sound of Cass moving around the kitchen.

__

She wakes to the scratch of pen on paper and Cass’s fingers carding through her hair.

“Hungry?” Cass asks.

“No,” Tim says in that guilty way which means he is.

“Steph?” Cass asks.

“No,” Steph says, “But I’ll have a little bowl of soup.”

“Good,” Cass says, “Bowl for Tim, too.”

“Cass, no.”

“Cass, yes.”

Tim sighs but doesn’t argue further. He knows better.

Steph squints at him, “What’re you doing here? Need Cass for a case or something?”

“No,” Tim says. He absentmindedly starts to run his fingers through her hair, now that Cass is gone, and sets the case file on his lap onto the floor. “Finished patrol without much problem. It’s a quiet night and Cass informed me of the situation so I decided to come visit. You always liked company when you had your period, so.”

He shrugs.

Steph smiles, “Aw, how sweet.”

Tim reddens, “Right. Yeah. Uh, anyways.”

“You _care_ about me.”

Tim glowers at her, “You’re like a sister to me, Steph. Of course I care about you.”

“I know, but you’re like, super bad at emotions,” Steph sighs dramatically, “Plus I was kind of hoping that you’d get embarrassed like Dami does. Not that it’s a good thing. But it’s hilarious.”

Tim shakes his head at her, “You take your medicine?”

“I _did_. Geez louise, you’d think I wasn’t a responsible adult or something.”

“You’re barely an adult.”

“We’re the same age.”

Tim shrugs, “Never said that _I_ was an adult.”

She laughs at him, “I’m fine now, though.”

“You always are, up until you aren’t.”

“Fair enough,” Steph sits up, dislodging Tim’s hand a bit, “No, keep doing that. I like it.”

“You just said you weren’t in pain.”

“Do you only try to make me happy when I’m in physical pain, Tim-tack? Is that how this works? I can be miserable so long as I’m physically healthy?”

He rolls his eyes at her and says “ _Steph_ ,” like he wants to chuck himself into oblivion. It’s _hilarious_.

“Betrayal,” Cass agrees, walking in with a tray of three bowls of _zhou_.

“On whose side? Mine or Tim’s?”

“Betrayal,” Cass repeats mysteriously, a smirk tugging up the corners of her lips as she hands Tim his bowl and slides Steph’s onto the bedside table. “Extra red beans.”

“You’re the best,” Steph kisses Cass’s cheek.

“I know,” Cass cards her fingers through Steph’s hair, “Tired?”

Steph squirms, “Not really.”

“Liar.”

“I feel better.”

“Still not best,” Cass sighs and pats Steph’s arm, “Make room. We’re watching a movie. Requests?”

Tim’s hand shoots up, “Detective Pikachu!”

“Nerd,” Steph smirks.

“Says the girl who watched it twice in theatres.”

“Went once for you and once for Dami.”

“He enjoy it?”

“Said it was decent. Neither of us liked the ending.”

“Because it turned out that Pikachu was—y’know—“

“Yeah. I mean it was pretty clearly foreshadowed from the beginning but it just totally changed Tim’s dynamic with you know who.”

“Spoilers,” Cass groans.

“We’re trying to avoid them.”

“Bad job.”

“Scoot,” Cass pulls up Detective Pikachu, “Watching now.”

“Alright, alright.”

Steph picks up an eraser and chucks it at the light switch. The lights flicker off.

“Movie theatre,” she says.

“Don’t forget to pick up the eraser,” Cass says.

So they watch Detective Pikachu at some ungodly hour in the morning, faint moonlight trickling in through gaps in the blinds, and Steph is tired and in pain but her family is by her side and it’s okay.

**Author's Note:**

> My [ tumblr](http://quilliumwrites.tumblr.com). Mostly for if you want to chat with me about anything related to my fandoms or writing and want more in-depth answers to any questions. Anywho, stay hydrated, well-rested, and well-fed. Take care of yourselves and do those things before reading any more fanfic.


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